Two senior United Nations officials have urged Western nations to engage with Afghanistan, warning that isolating the country could fuel instability with consequences extending beyond its borders.

“The lesson of the recent past is that ignoring Afghanistan is not a good thing to do,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih told The Associated Press during a joint visit to the country with UN Development Programme Administrator Alexander De Croo.

Despite ongoing challenges, Salih said engagement is the best way to encourage positive policies and maintain stability. “Without it, we may well risk instability, with all the implications of that instability,” he said, citing extremism, drug trafficking, crime and refugee movements.

Afghanistan continues to face overlapping crises after decades of conflict, including natural disasters, climate change and a surge in returning refugees. Nearly six million Afghans have returned since 2023, mainly from Pakistan and Iran, with another two million expected this year, according to the UN.

The influx has placed additional pressure on communities already struggling with widespread poverty, while deep cuts in international aid have further strained essential services. De Croo said 422 health centres had closed over the past year because of funding shortages, leaving more than three million people without access to basic healthcare.

Although no Western country has formally recognised the Islamic Emirate government since it returned to power in 2021, the officials said Afghanistan has made progress in several areas, including security, anti-corruption efforts and reducing opium production.

“I wouldn’t close my eyes to the fact that there is progress,” De Croo said, noting that drug production has fallen by around 95%. However, he warned that continued international support is needed to provide farmers with alternative livelihoods and prevent a resurgence in poppy cultivation.

The restrictions imposed on Afghan women and girls remain a major obstacle to closer international relations. Both officials said they raised the issue with IEA authorities and stressed that constructive engagement offered the best chance of encouraging meaningful reforms.

“It is vital to remind the world that the price of inaction far outweighs action,” Salih said. “You cannot ignore Afghanistan, and what happens in Afghanistan does not necessarily stay in Afghanistan.”

The World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Director, Hanan Balkhy, has called for stronger immunization programmes and sustained investment in Afghanistan’s healthcare system following her fourth mission to the country with the Polio Oversight Board (POB).

During the visit, Balkhy and the POB delegation met with Afghan health authorities, frontline healthcare workers, United Nations agencies and international partners to assess ongoing efforts to eradicate polio and ensure every child has access to life-saving vaccines.

She stressed that ending polio requires more than mass vaccination campaigns, highlighting the importance of strengthening routine immunization, maintaining essential health services and building a more resilient healthcare system.

“Reaching every child with life-saving vaccines must go hand in hand with strengthening routine immunization and sustaining essential health services,” Balkhy said.

She said the delegation had witnessed the commitment of health workers and partners across Afghanistan despite significant operational and humanitarian challenges, expressing confidence that continued collaboration could accelerate progress toward eliminating the disease.

Balkhy added that combining humanitarian support with long-term investment in healthcare would not only help eradicate polio but also strengthen the country’s ability to protect communities from other preventable diseases.

Afghanistan remains one of only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus is still endemic, alongside neighbouring Pakistan. Health officials have repeatedly warned that insecurity, population movement, gaps in routine immunization and limited access to some communities continue to pose challenges to eradication efforts. Strengthening routine vaccination and primary healthcare services is considered critical to achieving a polio-free Afghanistan and preventing future outbreaks.

Afghanistan’s Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, has called on the international community to increase humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stressing that aid should be guided by humanitarian needs rather than political considerations.

According to the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, Abdul Kabir made the remarks during a meeting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih, and the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme Alexander De Croo, where they discussed the situation of Afghan refugees, the challenges facing returning migrants, and ways to expand cooperation.

During the meeting, Salih reaffirmed the United Nations’ commitment to supporting the Afghan people, noting that the growing number of returnees has increased the need for both humanitarian and long-term development assistance.

He also voiced concern over the forced deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan, emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation and multilateral dialogue to address refugee issues and ensure the safe and dignified return of Afghans.

The head of UNDP, who recently visited development projects in Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharif, highlighted the importance of sustained international cooperation to support Afghanistan’s economic recovery and make greater use of the country’s existing resources and human capital.

Abdul Kabir thanked UN agencies for their continued support, noting that decades of conflict, instability and economic hardship have displaced millions of Afghans. He called for greater international efforts to address the root causes of migration while increasing assistance for vulnerable communities across the country.

He stressed that humanitarian assistance should remain focused on helping those most in need and should not become entangled in political disputes.